


SCUBE

by Kuronrko98



Series: Maladaptive Daydreaming Work: The Cube and Related Universes [18]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: I DO NOT KNOW YET WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IM STILL DAYDREAMING THIS ONE, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Warnings May Change, do not copy to another site, im not dealing with specific character names in the tags :/, just sburb, no actual hs characters, this is in second person after the first chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-29 17:53:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18299201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuronrko98/pseuds/Kuronrko98
Summary: Your name is Connor Sawyer, and your life is full of coincidences.Your name is Jordan Sawyer, and you really don't have time for this game night.Your name is Rachel Handler, and your datemate/boss really needs to relax.Your name is Damien Freeman, and you’re about to meet your partner's boyfriend for the first time.Your name is Madi Alexander, and you don't normally spend time with this many of your roommate's friends.Your name is Dominic Tchaikovsky, and you really just want to get some sleep.Your name is Sawyer Perry, and college is a pain in your ass.Your name is Jax Belle, and you know something everyone else doesn't.You are called the Seer, for clarity. You don't know what your denizen expects you to do in this timeline, but everything is so much different than you remember. All you know is, this time is supposed to go right.This time, Sawyer is supposed to win.





	SCUBE

**Author's Note:**

> Any chapters that take place in the Cube will be kind of. Confusing out of context with everything else I've posted of the Cube so far. Most of what I've posted is from 2014-2016 with a couple more recent scenes. The Seer's mostly shown up in the Gregor thing. V has barely been named. The Scientist and the Vampire are miles from where they've gone since then.
> 
> This started in 2018, so things have changed a bit.

“There really isn’t anything you have to do.” V leans against their door, the one I hate, the one that once held Breaking Furnace, with crossed arms. “Nothing you _can_ do, more like.”

“What do you mean?”

They hug themself tighter and avert their eyes.

“Everything’s already there. The universe is, of course, but the splinters that make up your whole cast for the game, too.”

They pause to eye me uncertainly.

I don’t say anything. That hasn’t happened before. Would that really be pieces of us? Independently formed versions of us running around in a universe we found on accident?

“They’re all already there,” they repeat. “I checked and double checked. Your doubles, the objects that would gift them your memories and powers. I thought it was weird so I ran a permeability scan and—”

“Permeability scan.”

I glance to the side to see a smile barely touching Connor’s eyes, mouth curved at the edges. I forget, sometimes, how much time he spent with V while we were in Furnace.

“Yes.” They narrow their eyes, and they have to know how funny he thinks their computer aesthetic is. “I can call my processes whatever I want.”

“No, I know, just—” He breaks and shows his teeth in the briefest of grins. “What’d your _permeability scan_ say?”

They watch him for another moment before shifting back to address me. I straighten up to compensate.

“I’m not going to say _you_ can’t get into the universe. Obviously, a block wouldn’t stand long against you poking at it, but—” They shrug. “I think it only wants one person to go in, and it’s not any of the players.”

Of course, it has to be—

“The Seer.”

They blink at me when I say it at the same time as them. They don’t go further than a nod, though.

In a way, I’m relieved. I don’t have to go in. It’s not me that has to do these things, they won’t have this idiotic exhaustion I brought on myself. They’ll probably be more suited to this than I would be.

A reliable community. That and the game abstractions of the universe look like the only things different comparing their life to mine when I look at the universe. They can carry shit around in a sylladex and store their pens in a strife deck, but they’re still the same asshole I know I am.

I’m brought back to the present moment at the same time my knees almost give out.

“That—oh, yeah, that’s our cue.”

It’s my voice, but there are so many people with my voice I can’t even try to figure out who it could be on that alone. V, maybe, if I thought they would actually be helping Connor keep me upright.

Connor, I feel just through his base wavelength in the Cube. A subtle vibration that hides his idle thoughts unless I’m listening. I smile.

Then that voice keeps me from drifting off again.

“I told you to stay off your feet. You might be able to push yourself to the limit at home, but this isn’t ‘ignore professional advice’ caliber shit.”

Ah. Their wavelength touches smoothly with mine, closer than any other member of The Collective.

Say their name and they will come, the Seer of Time is here.

I struggle to surface against the fog. It came in so slowly, so subtly, I didn’t notice. Now, it’s choking every thought and makes it hard to turn my head toward them. They aren’t there anymore, though.

“—didn’t even realize it was this bad.”

I sway in Connor’s arms. The rumble of his voice mixes with snippets of panicked thought underneath the slight concern that actually touches his words. I want to reassure him, but considering I can’t do much more than ball my fist in the front of his shirt, that might have to wait.

His worry is a wispy lavender I can feel more than see, with my eyes closed and all.

“They have their radar on, full power, constantly.” The Seer rests their hand on the side of my head, and some of the fatigue lifts. “I’m surprised they’re recovering as well as they have been. Three hours locked in a room with that demon’s puppet would put any empath in the hospital.”

“Slander,” I mutter.

“Yeah, yeah.” They ruffle my hair and the smile transmits through their hand. “I’ll be gone soon enough.”

Right.

They have to go into that universe. They have to go and fulfill whatever task Hephaestus gave them in exchange for a way into our timeline. Have to finish what they started.

I hope they know what they’re doing.

“I exist in a constant state of saying that exact thing to myself,” they say flatly. “Try not to worry about it too much.”

I swing my head to the side, bleary eyes cracked open. I’m used to people responding to my thoughts. It’s a thing I do, so it makes sense for them to do it. They’re even more literally me than most of the others.

They keep their eyes trained straight ahead. They’re distant, and I don’t have the energy to pick their brain. Still, I’m guessing my part in whatever plan they have charted out is over and done with.

I took Cal from Bro. I dragged us through the Gregor daydream much faster than is healthy in my current state. I made sure Dominic would be in the SCUBE universe, though I’m not sure if I could have changed it if I wanted to. I kept Jay from knowing anything about their role in the game.

“You conned me into letting you overexert yourself,” Connor cuts in. “It’s not appreciated.”

“I resent that.” I burrow my head back into Connor’s chest. Everything I think must be being broadcasted as if I’m talking, which is awesome. “If I could use the Room, I wouldn’t need to _go_ places for information.”

“You still don’t,” the Seer drawls. “But I’m not about to argue. If I had to sit in bed all day…”

I could always just have Connor carry me everywhere.

“Vetoed.”

I huff.

“Make sure you rest until the dizzy spells fade,” the Seer says abruptly. “Let yourself recover, alright?

“Hm?”

Connor stops, and I have to lift my head to see the Seer frozen stock still in the middle of the hall. I don’t even know where we are. They stare at something we can’t see, the strands of time they watch to make the timeline go the right way.

“I have to go.” They start to back away, eyes glazed. “You’ll be able to use your room again, it’s time.”

Time.

That’s all it comes down to.

Connor calls after them, but once they spin on their heel they don’t turn back. His grip tightens, eyes on their retreating figure. He waits for them to turn the corner before letting out a breath.

“Let’s get you back to the Room. You should probably rest before—”

“It’s too late,” I murmur. I’ve lived most of my life in a split screen, this isn’t exactly new. “The connection’s stronger. Regularly scheduled programming interrupted by an important news update that isn’t gonna go away.”

He starts off, thoughts of the Room bouncing from his mind to mine.

Then he’s gone, and I’m another layer down. The darkness of the In-Between, the blinding light of the shell of a universe. Connor’s warmth fades, though I know the part of me that isn’t about to peer into this new world is still with him.

The exhaustion melts away, the fog gone.

I open my eyes, and I forget.


End file.
